Team USA's Sarah Hendrickson is a likely contender in women's ski jumping — an event making its debut at Sochi. Harry How/Getty Images The Olympics officially kicked off on Friday night and the games are finally underway.

The competition this year is hotter than ever. Literally.

From skiing to ice hockey to biathlon, we rounded up the steamiest athletes, listed alphabetically, who are competing for gold in Russia.

1/

Alyson Dudek, Team USA

Dudek finished third in the rankings for all three distances at Olympic Trials, earning her the final spot on the U.S. women's team. The Wisconsin native skated in the Vancouver Games and won bronze with the relay team.

2/

Aksel Lund Svindal, Team Norway

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Age: 30 Sports: Alpine skiing

This Norwegian pillar won a medal of every color at the Vancouver Games, and will be the one to beat in the speed discipline events at Sochi. Svindal finished in the top five in his last six World Cup downhill races and in 12 of his last 14 dating back to March 2012.

Bode Miller, Team USA

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Age: 36 Sport: Alpine skiing

With five Olympic medals, 33 individual World Cup victories and two World Cup titles under his belt, "old-timer" Miller is the most decorated U.S. skier of all time. He took off last season to rehabilitate his knee, and will likely return to the slopes in Sochi.

Jeff Carter, Team Canada

The Los Angeles Kings' forward was left off the Canadian national team in 2010, and has dedicated his training over the last four years to proving he can defend the Great White North against the world's best players. Carter has a team-leading 15 goals in 33 games this season.

8/

Julia Mancuso, Team USA

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Age: 29 Sport: Alpine skiing

"Super Jules," as her fans call her, will attempt to become the first U.S. alpine skier to win a medal at three straight Olympics. Mancuso made a splash in Vancouver when she took the silver in women's downhill and super combined, and handed out 500 thongs and 500 boyshorts. Her lingerie line "Kiss My Tiara" was inspired by a tiara she wears during competition.

9/

Julie Chu, Team USA

AP/Ralph Lauren

Age: 31 Sport: Women's ice hockey

One-time ESPN The Magazine model and Harvard graduate, Chu, is the oldest player to ever represent the U.S. women's team in the Games. She's heading to her fourth Olympics and looking for a gold medal to go with the two silvers and bronze already on her shelf.

10/

Lolo Jones, Team USA

Best known for her accomplishments on the track, Jones is the ninth American to compete in both the Summer and Winter Olympics. After finishing fourth in hurdles at the 2012 London Olympics, Jones gave bobsled a try as a push athlete. She took home two silver medals in her second World Cup season.

11/

Patrick Chan, Team Canada

Canada's best chance at winning its first Olympic gold medal in male figure skating is three-time reigning world champion Chan. He just picked up another Grand Prix title, setting a world record during the short program by beating his closest competitor by almost seven points.

12/

Sarah Hendrickson, Team USA

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Age: 19 Sport: Ski jumping

Women's ski jumping will be part of the Olympic program for the first time in Sochi, and this 2013 World Champion is one of the youngest gold-medal threats. A brutal knee injury over the summer put Hendrickson out of commission for most of the season, but she returned to the slopes the week before the U.S. women's team was named.

13/

Shani Davis, Team USA

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Age: 31 Sport: Speedskating

Davis is on his way to becoming the most decorated male long-track speedskater in U.S. history. With six Olympic medals under his belt, the two-time defending champion in the 1,000m event is also the first African-American to win an individual gold medal in the Winter Games.

14/

Shaun White, Team USA

White — deemed "The Flying Tomato" when he struck gold at the Torino Games — holds the Winter X Games record for most gold medals and finished atop the podium in halfpipe at two consecutive Winter Olympics. He will likely be a contender in the halfpipe and new slopestyle competitions at Sochi.

15/

Sidney Crosby, Team Canada

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Age: 26 Sport: Men's ice hockey

Crosby, anointed "The Next One" at the age of 15, led the Great White North to Olympic gold in the Vancouver Games by scoring the game-winning goal in overtime against the U.S. Crosby, who's currently captain of the Pittsburgh Penguins, will also captain Team Canada as they defend their title in Sochi.

16/

Silje Norendal, Team Norway

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Age: 20 Sport: Slopestyle snowboarding

This Norweigan beauty has the American and Canadian slopestyle boarders shaking in their boots. Despite the claim that she doesn't really like rails, she destroyed them at the X Games in Tignes last season, and took home gold.

Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir, Team Canada

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Age: 24 and 26, respectively Sport: Ice dancing

Virtue and Moir just captured their fifth Skate Canada International Grand Prix title to kick off what will likely be their final season competing. After skating together for more than 16 years, they're hoping to top off their careers with back-to-back Olympic gold medals.

Tim Burke, Team USA

Jens Meyer/AP

Age: 31 Sport: Biathlon

Biathlon is a combination of cross-country skiing and rifle shooting. The U.S. has never earned an Olympic medal in the sport, and the Lake Placid native is its best chance at changing that. This year, the two-time Olympic competitor took silver at the World Championships in the 20km individual event.

21/

Tina Maze, Team Slovenia

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Age: 30 Sport: Alpine skiing

The Slovenian singing sensation hasn't won any races this season, but if Maze finds her spark over the next month, she could win a medal in every Olympic Alpine skiing event. Last season she clinched the overall World Cup title with a record point total, and celebrated with her signature victory move: turning cartwheels in ski boots.

22/

Torah Bright, Team Australia

Marcio Sanchez/AP

Age: 26 Sport: Snowboarding

Bright, the defending Olympic women's halfpipe champion, will defend her title and compete in slopestyle at Sochi. She rattled the Australian Olympic Committee last month by saying she will refuse to comply with a ban on athletes' use of social media.

23/

Vanessa-Mae, Team Thailand

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Age: 35 Sport: Skiing

The British violin prodigy put her music career on hold last year and strapped on a pair of ski boots, preparing to compete in slalom for her father's home country. She is only the third person to represent tropical Thailand at the Winter Games.